Nairne, SA
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Nairne is a township in the Adelaide Hills of South Australia, about 40 kilometres east of Adelaide and only a few kilometres north-east of Mount Barker. It was founded in 1839 by Matthew Smillie, who named it for his wife's family, and a district council bearing the name was established in 1854. For more than a century the town was associated with Chapman's bacon factory, which operated from 1899 until 2002 and has since been redeveloped. The surrounding hills country now supports vineyards, a strawberry farm and a large gin distillery, brewery and winery complex, and the town has served as a film location. It makes an easy day trip from the city.
Around the national middle
Nairne is more socio-economically advantaged than about 52% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 991, where about 1000 is the national average).
A socio-economic measure from ABS Census data — not a measure of how good a suburb is to live in or visit. How we calculate this.
Nairne at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 5,327
- Median age
- 36
- Median weekly household income
- $1,776
- SEIFA score
- 991
- Coordinates
- -35.0337, 138.9143
Nairne demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Nairne using the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census; every percentage is a share of a clearly stated Census count, so each one traces back to the source. At a glance, the largest age group is young adults (25–44) at 28%, 21% of homes are rented, and 13% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 1,167 | 22% |
| Youth (15–24) | 614 | 12% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 1,479 | 28% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 1,366 | 26% |
| Seniors (65+) | 701 | 13% |
Share of the 5,327 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 478 | 24% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 1,034 | 53% |
| Rented | 402 | 21% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 1,906 | 98% |
| Townhouses & semis | 29 | 1% |
| Flats & apartments | 0 | 0% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 1,941 occupied private dwellings in Nairne.
- Median weekly rent
- $350
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,500
- Average household size
- 2.6 people
- Median weekly family income
- $2,077
- Median weekly personal income
- $859
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 657 (13%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 188 (4%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 63 (1%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 2,274 (57%)
- Labour-force participation
- 71.1%
- Unemployment rate
- 3.9%
- Employed full-time
- 1,575
- Employed part-time
- 1,066
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021 (General Community Profile, by Suburb and Locality). © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. How we group bands and derive each share is set out on our methodology page.
Weather and climate in Nairne
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Nairne is January (average daytime high around 29.8°C) and the coolest is July (around 14.8°C). The area receives roughly 452 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 29.8°C | 16.4°C | 33 mm |
| Feb | 28.3°C | 15.6°C | 26 mm |
| Mar | 26.1°C | 14.7°C | 17 mm |
| Apr | 22.5°C | 12.8°C | 35 mm |
| May | 18.1°C | 10.8°C | 42 mm |
| Jun | 15.4°C | 8.9°C | 39 mm |
| Jul | 14.8°C | 8.4°C | 48 mm |
| Aug | 15.6°C | 8.1°C | 49 mm |
| Sep | 18.4°C | 9.2°C | 41 mm |
| Oct | 22.4°C | 10.9°C | 41 mm |
| Nov | 24.4°C | 12.6°C | 49 mm |
| Dec | 27.7°C | 14.4°C | 32 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Common questions about Nairne
Where is Nairne?
Nairne is a suburb of South Australia, Australia.
What is the population of Nairne?
At the 2021 Census, Nairne had a population of about 5,327.
Is Nairne an advantaged area?
Nairne has an ABS SEIFA score of 991, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 52 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 52% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Nairne?
Nairne has average daytime highs of about 22°C and overnight lows of about 11.9°C, with roughly 452 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
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